Military Members Of GB Bobsleigh Squad Compete In Red Arrows Challenge

The military contingent in Great Britain's bobsleigh team have been taking part in a challenge that involves pushing a Red Arrow.

Lance Corporal Nick Gleeson, Private Luke Dawes, Private Olly Butterworth and Royal Marine Taylor Lawrence are competing against the Royal Air Force bobsleigh team.

The winners will be the fastest team to push the aircraft over a 30-metre distance.

However, it is not just the five-tonne iconic plane that is pushed, as for safety reasons, another seven tonnes are added to the load by attaching a tow truck.

LCpl Gleeson told Forces News: "It was very heavy to start off with - very, very heavy."

The team pushed the jet the 30-metre distance in just 45 seconds.

Pte Dawes told Forces News the challenge was unlike anything they are used to.

"We’re [usually] pushing maximum maybe five seconds so doing a 45-second push was a bit of a leg burner," he said.

"I guess it is good training and it’s good publicity for us and good publicity for the Red Arrows as well."

Pte Dawes said he was "quietly confident" that their time will be enough to beat the RAF team, adding: "I’m not going to brag too much because if they do beat us, it will be a little bit embarrassing.

"They’ve got a number of international athletes on their team, they’ve got a Jamaican, GB development guys, an ex-Olympian - they’re not an inexperienced team but obviously, we’re the current GB number one crew so we should be beating them at the end of the day."

The team had originally discussed pushing the much bigger and heavier Hercules transport aircraft but decided a Red Arrow was a better fit.